the Graveyard Shift
by spottedleopard79
Summary: Echo is a Duskull with a dream. He wants to help the spirits of dead pokemon move on from this world. But that is a dangerous life to live, and not one he can survive on his own. He must find a team that is willing to put their lives on the line to save the spirits that many have forgotten.
1. Prologue

Lala officially hated her friends. The young Skitty struggled through the dark forest, her tiny paws getting caught in the multiple vines that littered the forest floor. She was in search of a bouncy ball that her friend, Rose, had brought for them to play with. Skylar, a Pidgey, had just learned Gust and was so excited to show off his new move he sent the bouncy ball soaring into the forest. Whose job was it to find the lost toy? Hers. 

Lala growled, flattening her ears so that they wouldn't get tangled in any hanging webs. She hated this place. Her beautiful pink fur was getting dirty! Her parents were surely going to kill her. 

Stupid Rose and her stupid toy, she thought. 

The young Pokemon continued forward. She could barely see in front of her due to the thick foliage. She had been worried that something would jump out at her, but after not seeing any sign of other Pokemon in the area she decided she would be safe. 

She took another step forward and her paws slid out from under her. With a wail she fell head over tail down a small hill. She landed face first, her legs sprawled out next to her. She groaned, laying still as she waited for the pain in her skull to go away. 

"Are you alright?" A voice asked. 

Cracking open her eyes, Lala saw a male Linoone standing above her, the frown on his muzzle showed his worry. She stared at him. He was a handsome Pokemon. His brown fur was sleek and shiny, a feather poked out from behind his left ear. His eyes were a beautiful ocean blue that she could not look away from. 

"Excuse me? Anyone there?" He asked, concern lighting up his eyes. 

"yeah...yeah! I'm alright!" Lala scrambled to her feet. She smiled shyly, dragging her paw on the ground in what she assumed was cutely. 

"Well, good! You had me worried!" He laughed, "I'm Krone." 

"I'm Lala! It's so nice to meet you, Krone!" Lala giggled.

"So, what are you doing here? Not many Pokemon come to these woods." Krone said. 

"Oh, well, I kinda got lost while looking for my friends bouncy ball." Lala said, chuckling nervously. 

"I can help you if you want, I know this woods like the back of my paw!" He exclaimed, smiling broadly. 

"That would be awesome!" 

"Cool! Follow me." Krone spun and trotted into the trees. 

Lala quickly scrambled after him. With each step the forest seemed to grow thicker. The trees grew closer, causing the forest to grow darker. A chill shot down her spine, making her fur stand on end. The dirt under paw became muddy, as if a water source was nearby. She pricked her ears and sure enough there was the sound of a river. She relaxed slightly at the familiar sound. She picked up her pace, coming to walk next to the Linoone. Krone smiled at her, which she returned. Maybe this job would turn out with a reward after all. 

Soon the river came into sight. Lala raced forward, excitement running through her body. Her little town was centered close to a lake. She had never known that she lived so close to a river. She splashed in the water, squealing happily as her fur got soaked. Jumping on a large boulder in the middle of the river, she surveyed her surroundings. Pebbles covered the bank, small patches of grass fought to grow through the rocks. The large trees blocked her view of anything more. 

She was about to turn back when something caught her eye. A large, oddly shaped rock was buried in the pebbles on the bank. Lala sprung of the boulder and splashed over to the bank. She may as well bring back a souvenir for all her trouble. And maybe Krone would like it. A smile spread on her muzzle. She could see it now. Giving Krone a nice present, him loving it, then they would get married and have plenty of babies. 

Giggling to herself, she giddily ran over to the rock. Tail wagging in happiness, she took hold of the rock. Wiggling the rock around, she figured that it was buried too deep in the pebbles. Slipping out her claws, she began to dig. 

"Come on, mama needs her a husband." She muttered. 

Finally, after one last tug the rock came free. It tumbled down the hill of pebbles, coming to a stop at the edge of the river. Squealing in achievement, she ran after the rock. She grabbed the rock and spun it around, checking it over to make sure it had no scratches or dings. Suddenly she froze, the fur on her neck standing on end. The skull stared back at her, a permanent smile stuck on its bony face.

Lala screamed, scrambling away from the skull. Turning quickly, she raced back the way she had come. Krone stood waiting for her, his head bowed as if in deep thought. 

"Krone!" She called out fearfully, "Krone, you have to see this! I don't know what to do!"

She stopped in front of him, her chest heaving from exertion. 

"Krone? Krone, answer me! I'm scared!" She cried. 

Lala screamed again, backing quickly away from Krone. This was not who saved her. This could not be the one who she had liked so much, the one she wanted to take back to town and brag to all her friends about. Krone, no this monster, stood before her. His once sleek fur stood up on end, dried blood stuck to it. He only had half his tail left and his right back paw stuck out in a weird angle. The skin on his lower jaw was ripped away showing off the bone. One eye was out of its socket, only hanging on by a small string of tissue.

Krone let out a roar. He ran at her, his one eye filled with malice. Lala fled, her small legs moving as fast as they could. She shot into the woods, but quickly figured out her mistake. She had to fight her way through the thick vines and ferns that tangled at her paws. Adrenaline kept her going. Bouncy ball be damned, she didn't want to die! 

A heavy weight slammed on her shoulders, forcing her to the ground. She wailed in pain as she felt sharp teeth bite into her shoulder. Meat was ripped out of her, blood splashed onto the forest floor. With a shriek, she slammed her tail into Krone's face. He let go of her with a roar filled with rage.

Wiggling out from under him, she limped forward. She swatted her tail from side to side, hoping to smack him with it if he came up behind her. Suddenly the land under her feet fell away. She tumbled forward with a scream. Her injured shoulder hit the ground first and she laid on the ground, dazed. 

He was going to get her. He would catch her and rip her to shreds and there was nothing she could do about it. She was so tired, to tired to fight him off. He was bigger than her, stronger. 

"Lala! Lala!" Voices cried out. 

The Skitty frowned. She knew those voices, but from where? Forcing open her eyes she saw Rose and Skylar running over to her. The Roselia quickly pressed leaves to her bleeding shoulder while Skylar used his side to hold her up. 

"Lala, what happened? Are you alright?!" Rose asked desperately, worry in her voice. 

"We can find that out later! We need to get her help!" Skylar exclaimed. 

"Right! Lets get her to my mom, she will know what to do!" Rose stated. 

As her friends helped her forward, Lala looked back at the forest. For the rest of her life she could swear that a handsome Linoone stared down at her from the shade of an oak tree.


	2. Of talking toys

Sorry guys, I messed up in my summary. I meant Duskull not Dusclops. Hopefully that didn't confuse you to much. Now, on with the story.

* * *

Echo was not an expert by any means. Honestly, this was the first time he had been on his own. He had always gone on hunts with his mentor. The Tyranitar had found signs of an extremely dangerous spirit in Oak Planes. He hadn't thought Echo was ready to deal with such a spirit so he went out on his own, only leaving a note behind telling him to take up missions while he was gone.

Echo wanted to make his mentor proud, so when news got out of a strange occurrence in Opal Valley he packed his bags and hit the road. Opal Valley was a small Pokémon town that was built in a valley. It is surrounded by a thick forest that is easy to get lost within. In fact, around ten Pokémon vanish in those woods every year. Many spirit experts had checked out the area, certain that at least one vengeful spirit had to be hanging around, but the only ones found were ones that didn't even know that they were dead. Those spirits weren't dangerous in any way, shape, or form. They just needed to be informed that they were, indeed, dead. Most actually took it pretty well.

Still, there was always the chance that an angry spirit could pop up without warning. It could have recently died and gone on a rampage, or been there for years, waiting for something to trigger its attacks. That was why Echo was on his way to Opal Valley. If there truly was a malevolent spirit hanging around, it was his job to put it to rest.

Echo made his way to the Valley. The trail had been created by hundreds of Pokémon prints over centuries. This was the only way through Opal Forest without getting lost. The dark trees grew away from the trail, leaving an open space to walk through to the town.

The Duskull tightened his grip on his bag as he made it to the entrance of the town. Pokémon freely walked around, chatting happily with others, or briskly walked on their own. It was a tight nit community in which Echo knew he did not belong. That, of course, would not stop him from his mission. He would just need to be careful as to not bristle anyone's feathers.

Taking a deep breath, he cautiously floated into the town.

"Out of the way!"

He turned quickly toward the voice, only to be bowled to the ground.

"Dude! I told you to move!"

Echo groaned, shaking his head and looking at the Pokémon that was currently yelling at him. The Beldum glared down at him, anger apparent all over her features. Seeing that the Ghost-Type was not saying anything, the Beldum let out an annoyed huff.

"Are you even listening to me?!" She shouted, head-butting him to gain his attention.

"Hey, ow! Would you please stop it? Ouch! Come on!" Echo whined.

The Steel-type laughed, "What are you a baby?"

"No! I just don't appreciate you hitting me!"

The Beldum floated closer, her eye wide in wonder. Uncomfortable, Echo backed away from the crazy female. Why, out of all the females that could have run into him, did it have to be the insane one? Inches from his face, the Steel Pokémon suddenly spun around, smacking him with her claws.

Echo yelped, covering his face with his hands.

"I have no need to deal with such a Pokémon." The Beldum scoffed, floating off the way she had come.

Echo stared after her with a shake of his head. Where all the Pokémon around here that strange? Sighing, he turned to check out his surroundings. He had been taught that no matter how nice and sweet a town may seem, a living, breathing monster may be lying in wait. One did not wish to have to fight off a living killer while hunting a dead one.

Opal Valley was a nice little town. Shops made out of branches were built side by side, creating a small road to walk down between each building. Smooth stones had been buried into the ground to make a sort of walk way through town. Slightly impressed, he then turned to the towns people. Many different types of Pokémon walked around. With friends or by themselves. Echo scanned each one, remembering their faces for if the need arose.

Finishing up his people watching, he moved farther into town. It wasn't hard to pick up gossip in a town like this. Secrets spread around like Poppins. All you had to do was listen. Echo was a master of eavesdropping. People generally avoided Duskull due to their creepy appearance. He liked to take advantage of this.

After swiftly moving away from conversations he _did not _want to be a part of (_why were girls so interested in how many times her friend did it in one night?!_) he found a couple of females talking about just what he wanted to hear. Taking a seat a few tables away, he picked up the menu for the Valley Café.

"Poor Lala! She is such a sweet girl! How could this happen!" A Female Loudred gasped.

The Pigeot across from her picked angrily at the seeds in front of her, "No one cares about each other anymore. Humans and Pokémon have become selfish creatures."

"But why such a young child! She is such a thoughtful Skitty, always looking to the future." The Loudred sighed mournfully.

Echo took a bite out of his dead Sitrus Berry and washed it down with the last of his hot chocolate, _Lala huh. _Placing some Poke dollars on the table he pushed himself away from the chair. Asking around town for a young Skitty that had already been attacked could make some suspicious and have the opposite reaction to what he wanted. Seeing as he was a stranger to this town his questions would not be welcomed. Searching for a worried looking Delcatty, on the other hand, could get him better results. Unless this Lala was adopted, one of her parents had to be a Delcatty, who would be much more likely to be wandering outside of the house than the injured child.

Still, it could take hours to find them. A worried parent wouldn't be likely to leave a hurt child's side unless necessary. So, unless they happened to be running low on food or some other necessity, they wouldn't be around town any time soon. Plan B then. Making a quick scan of the area, he decided that the elderly Glalie that was window shopping seemed to be his best bet.

"Excuse me?" He said in his most polite voice, slowly inching towards the old Cat Head Pokémon.

"Hm?" The Ice-Type turned around, "Oh, hello. I have never seen you before."

"Yes, well, I am new here. I'm actually here to investigate that attack that happened her recently."

"The police have already arrived here, can't they handle this?" He seemed suspicious, not good.

"Of course, I'm just here for a new angle. Cover all bases."

The Glalie narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him with wise old eyes, "You have a badge?"

Quickly digging through his bag, Echo produced a police badge with a fake ID. Not many believed Pokémon came back from the very dead for revenge. A fake ID was the easiest way around trying to convince multiple people every time there went on a case.

"Looks good to me," The Glalie said, finishing studying the badge, "What can this old man help you with?"

"I seem to have gotten myself lost, could you point me in the direction of this young ones house?" He asked sheepishly.

"Course! See, go to the end of this street then take a right. Once you get to the first lantern it'll be the third house to the left."

"Thank you."

Echo followed the old Pokémon's directions and ended up in front of a small cottage. Made out of tree branches that were held together by thick vines, it was one of the nicer houses in town. A small gem was centered in the middle of the door to be used as a knocker. Gripping it, he lightly knocked on the door, stepping back to wait.

The door let out a soft creak as it was opened. A Persian stepped through the door. Her yellow eyes stared him down, studying him. Offering a small smile, Echo held out a hand.

"Hello, I'm Echo. I am here to investigate what happened to Lala." He said.

The Persian stared at him for a good minute more before taking his hand in her paw. Giving a quick shake, she took her paw back and placed it firmly on the ground.

"I am Kira. Lala's mother." She flicked her tail in irritation, "We already had the police over here. She already answered all of your questions, what more could you want?"

"I believe you are mistaken. I work on different angles than the police do. I make sure every possibility has been looked into. I understand your concern for your daughter, and I do not wish to upset her than she must already be, but this cannot be avoided."

Her ears flattened on her head, a low growl rising in her throat. He figured she did not like his tone, but it was not his job to be friendly. If this was what he had to do to get the information he needed, then so be it.

"Ma'am. You seem like a kind Pokémon. I know this is stressful on you and you must be very upset. But if there is something out there, something bad, it is my job to put a stop to it before it hurts anymore defenseless children and the only way I can do that is to question your daughter. Please."

The Normal type stared at him for a bit more before sighing and opening the door for him. Nodding his thanks, Echo followed her into the house. The cottage wasn't messy but also not clean. Evidence of a usually hyper child was all over the place. Toys, blankets and makeup were placed on the floor and counters. Seems as if someone was playing beauty queen before she was injured. Echo couldn't stop the smile that pulled at his lips. Signs of a happy child.

Kira led him to a small room that was littered with stuffed Pokémon. A small pink bed sat in the middle of the room, a tiny Skitty laying on it, bandages wrapped around her right shoulder. A male Delcatty sat in front of her, calmly reading a book out loud to her. Both of the cat Pokémon looked up as the door opened a little wider.

"Oh, hello." The male cat greeted, his purple eyes shining with curiosity.

"Hi, I'm Echo. I'm here to speak with your daughter." Echo informed, figuring quickly that this was Lala's father.

The Delcatty sighed, "More questions? Make it quick, would you?" He got to his feet and glanced at his daughter.

"Of course," Echo waited until both parents left the room before turning to the child.

"Hello Lala, it's nice to meet you."

"No it's not," she growled, surprising him, "you don't care. You won't believe me, no one does."

Echo took a seat next to her, placing his hands in his lap, "well, maybe I'm different."

"Yeah right," She snorted.

Echo didn't bother to respond, he simply picked up a Rhydon doll and played around with it. He wiggled its paws around, made it clap and talk. He glanced at Lala, he had her attention. Turning the dolls face toward her, he cocked its head like a confused Poochyena, causing her to laugh.

Reaching down he picked up a Zangoose doll and handed it to her. With a giggle, she had her doll start up a conversation with his. And that Zangoose told him everything he needed to know.


End file.
